News in brief

A crew member has died after being attacked on board the cruise liner Queen Mary 2. The man suffered serious head injuries after an alleged row with another member of staff last Friday. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the Netherlands but later died. Officers from Hampshire Police have flown to Bergen in Norway, where the liner is now docked; they have jurisdiction to investigate the attack because the vessel is registered in Southampton.

Four-year-old's UK bike record bid

A young boy is attempting a record-breaking cycle ride across Britain. Henry Cole, four, is two-thirds of the way through a gruelling 874-mile trek from Land's End in Cornwall to John o'Groats in Scotland. Henry is being helped by his father Adrian, 35, an accountant, who does most of the pedalling on their converted bike. When Henry finally crosses the finish line, he will become the youngest person ever to have completed the challenge.

Man charged over sword killing

A man was charged last night with murdering a young partygoer who was repeatedly stabbed with a samurai sword before being run over. The 36-year-old, who has not been named, is accused of killing Carie Burns, 21, who was attacked with the sword following an argument. He is due to appear tomorrow at Derwentside magistrates' court in Consett, Co Durham.

Teenagers head for Everest peak

Two 19-year-olds hoping to become the youngest Britons to climb Mount Everest set off on the final slog to the summit yesterday. James Hooper and Rob Gauntlett, former pupils at Christ's Hospital School in West Sussex, left advanced base camp. They hope to reach the 8,850 metres (29,035ft) summit on Wednesday.